Fintech leaders debate the future of crypto at Davos

By Cale Guthrie Weissman

The blockchain world had a rough year in 2018. What was once the hot new technology that every business flocked to became a metaphor for everything wrong with Silicon Valley’s excess and hype. Bitcoin’s value plummeted by 80% over the last year, and other coins didn’t fare much better. Despite this, crypto-evangelists have maintained that blockchain is the next generation of software architecture–one that will create more decentralized and transparent platforms.

Unsurprisingly, blockchain has been a frequent topic of conversation in Davos, Switzerland, this week, where financial leaders attending the annual World Economic Forum have discussed the subject–perhaps with a less enthusiastic tone than last year. Thursday morning, a panel of fintech leaders sat down with Fast Company‘s editor-in-chief, Stephanie Mehta, and naturally the blockchain subject was broached. They all had divergent thoughts about its future.